best c-mount lenses

[mattias]

hey,

i still haven't given up on the idea to shoot a feature on super 8 even though the last one ended up on video, so i've started to invest in some new equpiment. i now have a crýstal synced 5008 and a f- to c-mount adapter that lets me use my nikkor primes.

i'd much rather use a zoom though but i don't think there are any in c-mount that gets even remotely close to my nikkors in speed and sharpness (and no nikkor ones that are wide enough), but maybe you have some ideas? if there is none i still need a couple of wide primes since my widest nikkor is 24mm, a 6mm and a 16 or so would be great, are there any great such lenses? my budget for either a zoom or two primes is around $500.

i'm sure this has been discussed before, if you have a thread i've forgotten about please direct me there.

thanks,
/m

[StoneBuilder]

Have a look at Schneider lens on eBay. I think their widest is 11mm, pricey though. Nowadays people seem to be looking for bokeh rather than all out sharpness, in which case think Dallmeyer or Cooke. Zeiss made some C-mounts and I would assume them to be about the best, though just one will eat your budget. But if you're using these lenses why spoil them with just 8mm film - wouldn't 16 be better?

[mattias]

thanks, yeah a zeiss lens would be nice obviously. did they make any wide zooms? seems like most great zooms in c-mount are for 16mm or 2/3" video and they rarely go below 12mm or so.

yeah 16mm is better but if i want good i usually shoot s16 or 35mm, and more and more red and dslr these days. i don't shoot super 8 because it's good but rather because it's bad, plus i like tiny cameras and cartridge loads. i still want sharp images though, because oherwise it becomes too hard to watch when blown up to 35mm. i've done tests with my canon 814 and stopped down it's sharp enough, but wide open it's too soft for the big screen. in my opinion.

[PyrodsTechnology]

Hi, you could try this

http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatal ... uctID=3310


it is stated 200 lp/mm ! but the price...

[mattias]

interesting. since they cover 2/3" i could use them with the si-2k or ikonoskop dIi too, and my 16mm windup for that matter. the price is actually pretty fair for brand new primes, isn't it?

[bakanosaru]

What's wrong with the schneider or angenieux lenses that originally came with the beaulieus? aren't they fast or sharp enough?

I just bought a 6008 without a lens and am also looking for something wide and fast too.

The zeiss ultra 16's with a pl to c mount adapter would be nice, but how much better would they be than the 6-66mm or 6-80mm beaulieu zooms?

[mattias]

there are certainly some angenieux zooms that are super sharp but i don't think the cheap super 8 ones are (let me know if I'm wrong). a prime, even a cheap one, is most certainly sharper. what if i would get just one prime, a wide to normal one, maybe 8-9mm or so, which one? also, if you're not shooting for telecine to di to 35mm i don't think it matters much. i've done some really cool music videos and shorts with my canon 814 and that lens while really good isn't exactly sharp. on tv it's fine.

[Scotness]

Hey Matt at the risk of steering this thread in a different direction just wondering a few things about the project:

- what subject matter?
- what kind of look are you going for -- I like your quote I don't shoot Super 8 because it looks good - I shoot it because it looks bad!
- I take it you're definitely aiming for a 35mm blow up?
- and what stock are thinking of shooting on?

Scot

[Patrick]

There is the Switar 10mm f1.6 but I don't recall if there are non-reflex versions available. In John Hedgecoe's The Book of Movie Photography, there is a reference to a 1.9mm fisheye lens that was made specifically for the super 8 format. I can't remember the lens manufacturer's name but it began with a 'K' and sounded German. No idea about which lens mount it had.

[Blue Audio Visual]

Century made a 3.5mm C-mount lens which should work, and there is also an Angenieux 5.9mm.

[mattias]

thanks a lot. i might get the 5.9 but i have to keep looking since the current prices on ebay are a little over my budget. i've narrowed it down to the few 10mm lenses that seem to be readily available, which one is better?

zeiss 2
switar 1.6
angenieux 1.8
(som bertiot 1.9)
(schneider 1.8)

i've pretty much ruled out the last two, they just don't "seem" as nice. the zeiss looks like a more modern lens but it's also the slowest. which is sharper do you know? the switar is almost a stop faster than the zeiss, but is it sharp wide open?

oh, and how the hell do i tell the rx lenses from non rx? does it say on the lenses? some ebay listings specify "for bolex reflex" and some from the same seller not, yet the picture of the lens indicates no difference.

/m

[RCBasher]

Hi Mattias,

I have a Kern-Paillard SWITAR 1:1,6 f=10mm H16 RX which you are welcome to borrow for as long as you need for your project.

If you are interested, send me a pm with your shipping address.

Frank

[mattias]

thanks for the offer, although i assumed i needed a *non* rx?

[Blue Audio Visual]

oh, and how the hell do i tell the rx lenses from non rx? does it say on the lenses? some ebay listings specify "for bolex reflex" and some from the same seller not, yet the picture of the lens indicates no difference.

Bolex/Kern-Paillard non-reflex lenses are marked AR, reflex as RX, but there are some exceptions to the rule, early reflex lenses are marked AR then something-or-other-that-I-can't-remember-at-the-moment.

[RCBasher]

although i assumed i needed a *non* rx?

No idea! I acquired the lens with some other stuff and know very little about it.